December 29, 2009

Searching for Juan Pierre

I figured slap-hitting, hustling, base-stealing Juan Pierre’s move to the Chicago White Sox would be met with article upon article with writers gushing over Pierre’s grit, .300 batting average, and ability to wreak havoc on the base-paths. This, I figured, would be the type of tripe I’d find when searching stories about the Dodgers trading Pierre to the Sox. The type that the guys at FJM would destroy, referencing Pierre’s below-average career OPS+, noodle-arm, and overall history of being overrated.

But, I found nothing of the sort. It seems that FJM may be gone because there’s just not quite the need anymore. Oh sure, I may be letting this one story influence me and the kind of writing they panned is still abundant, but damned if I didn’t fully expect the Tribune and SunTimes to be full of analysis extolling Sox G.M. Kenny Williams for finding a ‘true lead-off man’ who ‘knew how to win’. When I looked and didn’t see that, I chuckled inside, thinking that somewhere, some successful t.v. writers and former bloggers might feel they made a difference. …